Since 2017, the Cabo Delgado province in northeastern Mozambique has been plagued by a jihadist insurgency led by the Ansar Al-Sunna group, locally known as Al-Shabab (“the youth” in Arabic), which has been affiliated with the Islamic State since 2019. This situation has caused a severe humanitarian crisis, with more than one million people displaced, according to the UNHCR, making access to healthcare and essential needs extremely difficult.

In 2021, the site of the megaproject in natural gas on the Afungi Peninsula in Palma, partially operated by Total Energies, was attacked. According to investigative journalist Alex Perry, the attack led to the death or disappearance of nearly 1,200 people, making it one of the deadliest incidents since the September 11, 2001 attacks.

Recent months have seen a resurgence of attacks, with the situation tightening around Pemba, the provincial capital, where many displaced people have sought refuge. The Mozambican army has been unable to defend this resource-rich region despite assistance from the Rwandan military. The consequences of this war are devastating.

For Linda, a resident who fled the attacks in Cabo Delgado, "the army doesn’t defend the villagers but the resources."

Produced for Le Monde Afrique with journalist Margaux Solinas.